Category Archives: Architecture

SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System Architecture Unveiled

Posted on Wed, 2016-09-28 by gravityloss

They didn’t seem to optimize so feverishly for low trans Mars injection mass. Kudos for orbit refueling and planning for refueling on Mars, Asteroids, Europa, Callisto or what you have! I’m sure the architecture will still change drastically, it looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, RLV:s, SpaceX | Leave a comment

SpaceX Did It – What It Should Do Next

Posted on Wed, 2015-12-23 by gravityloss

Congratulations to SpaceX who landed the first stage intact. Assuming cost is roughly related to stage mass and engine count, reusing the first stage saves 9/10 of the whole rocket cost. If they can run the stage ten times, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Depot, Design, engines, industry, Launchers, Lunar, RLV:s, Spacecraft, SpaceX, Transportation | Leave a comment

How are we going to heat our cities in the future?

Posted on Mon, 2012-01-30 by gravityloss

Changed the title picture again. Air happened to be in such a configuration that the smoke from the hood district heating plant travelled horizontally. It uses fuel oil and isn’t in use most days. Only when it’s quite cold like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Energy | 3 Comments

Tomorrow is theirs

Posted on Mon, 2011-05-09 by gravityloss

A fascinating BOAC (British government airline) advertisement film from the fifties. Tomorrow was not theirs, but that of plastics, the jet engine and the transistor, which made almost all of these jobs obsolete. The British mindset of bringing luxurious services … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, Architecture, industry, Launchers, Motivation, Transportation | Leave a comment

Some Pictures From This Winter

Posted on Fri, 2011-03-18 by gravityloss
Posted in Architecture, Navelgazing | Leave a comment

21st Century Jet – Making The Boeing 777

Posted on Wed, 2011-03-09 by gravityloss

The movie’s available on Google Video, embedded above. Enjoy!

Posted in airplane, Architecture, Art, Design, engines, industry, RLV:s, Transportation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why precool but not liquify – Skylon and SABRE

Posted on Fri, 2010-10-29 by gravityloss

Well, I thought maybe I could add some content. Everybody’s heard about the British Hotol follower Skylon and its airbreathing SABRE engines. What’s special about them? My understandin’s based on this excellent document from Reaction Engines explaining why the system … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, Architecture, Design, Energy, engines, ESA, industry, Launchers, RLV:s, Suborbital, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Parawings and Rogallo wings, again

Posted on Thu, 2010-10-07 by gravityloss

Inspired by Michel Van (not Scott Lowther as mentioned earlier) at Secret Projects, who ran into the Gemini inflatable Rogallo wing test videos that are now available (not embeddable so linked only). There are parafoil systems for airdropping stuff, though … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design, industry, RLV:s, Spacecraft, Suborbital | 2 Comments

Gravity Assist Competition

Posted on Wed, 2010-10-06 by gravityloss

Or The Space Game, by ESA. This is a nice javascript webpage where a probe is shot from Earth to Jupiter with gravity assists at Venus (twice), Earth and Mars. You try to achieve the lowest propulsive delta vee. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Astronomy, Depot, Design, Energy, ESA, Homebuilt, industry, Launchers, Lunar, Models, Motivation, Science Links, Spacecraft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Turn-Boost-Glide-Back approach for first stages

Posted on Sun, 2010-09-26 by gravityloss

In a patent by the famous Barnaby Wainfan. EDIT: corrected the link. This patent was filed in 2006 and granted in 2008.

Posted in airplane, Architecture, Art, Design, engines, industry, Launchers, RLV:s, Suborbital | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments